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MLBTradeRumors published their off-season review for the Rays, including the arbitration estimates laid out yesterday, and an analysis of what's next with these guaranteed contracts:
Evan Longoria, 3B: $111.5MM through 2022 ($13MM club option for 2023)
Chris Archer, SP: $23MM through 2019 (plus club options for 2020-21)
James Loney, 1B: $8MM through 2016
Matt Moore, SP: $7.5MM through 2016 (plus club options for 2017-19)
Those four players will cost ~$30M next season combined, with another $30M due in arbitration between the eleven eligible players.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk provides the commentary, expecting the Rays to show for a full-time catcher, while Jake McGee goes on his trade block. He says the Rays would like Jaso back, but won't spend the ~$7M salary he'd require, and says the team might go belly up in a short stop search as well.
Polishuk makes no mention of Cabrera returning or an Ian Desmond splash signing, setting his sights far lower than we've dared to dream thus far, projecting Alexei Ramirez as the only real fit. He also notes he probably won't be available, with the White Sox picking up his option for 2016, leaving the Rays with Nick Franklin and Tim Beckham at short until a mid-season promotion of Daniel Robertson or Willy Adames.
Overall, however, he seems to think the future is bright, even if the playoff push was dull:
The Rays hung in the Wild Card race until mid-August, and that was even after Kevin Jepsen was traded to Minnesota, a deal that reportedly cast a disappointed pall over the Tampa Bay clubhouse. As Silverman indicated, the front office's attention will now be more firmly directed on the season at hand rather than just at the future. Don't be surprised if the Rays are again involved in a plethora of deals and are getting a lot of playoff contender buzz come Spring Training.
LINKS
- Evan Longoria was the Tampa Bay Lightning's Social Media Captain for their Opening Game:
Ready for the puck drop! @TBLightning #BeTheThunder #SocialCaptain pic.twitter.com/xxSfPmwY8j
— Evan Longoria (@Evan3Longoria) October 8, 2015
Please welcome @Evan3Longoria as tonight's @Malektronic #BoltsSocial captain. pic.twitter.com/aKZsMTpeN1
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) October 9, 2015
Lightning OT win! @TBLightning Jason Garrison second goal! pic.twitter.com/uFFS0pHd6Y
— Evan Longoria (@Evan3Longoria) October 9, 2015
- Elsewhere, Longoria shares classic Maddon stories on Mike & Mike and make NFL picks.
Nice! #teamtampabay @RaysBaseball @Evan3Longoria @MikeAndMike pic.twitter.com/nkO8hKH5eO
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@TBBuccaneers) October 9, 2015
- During last night's rain delay, the excellent Royals beat writer Andy McCullough expressed his love of The Trop:
Sometimes people ask me why my favorite stadium is Tropicana Field
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) October 9, 2015
- There will be some great pitching tonight in the NL
- Blengino on the limitations of Statcast data
- HBT: The 2015 strikezone | on trades between teams